Benazir Bhutto’s Daughter of Destiny (Simon & Schuster, 1989) was one of the most remarkable memoirs I reviewed during my 11 years as the book editor of the Plain Dealer. I was especially struck by how calmly Bhutto speaks in the book of being tortured by the regime of Zia ul-Haq, which kept her at first under house arrest and then imprisoned. Among the methods of torture she endured: She was strung up by her feet and beaten until she lost consciousness (and writes in the book about what a blessed relief it was finally to black out).

Many people may have wondered how Bhutto could have returned to Pakistan from her recent exile when the situation was so dangerous for her. Anyone who has read Daughter of Destiny knows part of the answer, if not all of it: It is not just that she had extraordinary courage but that, in a sense, she had endured worse than death.

My Plain Dealer review of Daughter of Destiny isn’t online, so I can’t link to it. But here’s a brief but fair review of the book that I agree with:

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Thanks for posting this. What a sad day this has been. In hindsight, this seems like a must-read. Hopefully through this book (and her hopefully on-going political movement) her message can transcend what occurred today.

Jan, no I am not an ex-reporter (or current one). After watching CNN and MSNBC for the better portion of the afternoon, I just could not remain silent on this story. Thanks for the compliments and thanks for reading.

Bhutto was assassinated by U.S. backed goons because she exposed the lie that Bin Laden is still alive. She said he was murdered. Ever notice how fast the taped Bin Laden acknowledgment’s of Al Qaeda involvement always surface immediately after a terrorist event? Calls get intercepted only after the fact. Coincidence?